Materials for Activity

Preparation for Activity

Read the story a few times. To help make the story engaging and clarify who is speaking during dialogues, try developing different voices for the different characters. Think about how you might use items from the story basket as props.

Consider telling the story rather than reading it. Practice telling it aloud.

Description of Activity

The story "Learning by Heart: Sophia Lyon Fahs" presents an example of someone acting based on our third Unitarian Universalist Principle, acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth.

Sound the instrument to indicate that the story is over. Then, guide the children in a brief discussion using these questions:

What have you seen or experienced that made you feel, "Wow, that's really amazing?"

Have you ever felt really excited to learn something? What was it, and what made it exciting?

Do you need a teacher to tell you what things are amazing, or is that something you already know? How do you know? (Point out that our spirit is the part of us that lets us know when something is amazing.)

What do you think "spiritual growth" might be? (You might suggest: more skill in seeing what's amazing, getting better at being quiet in yourself, figuring out your own answers to questions about what you believe, being ready to change your answers if you learn new information or have experiences that make your beliefs change.)